Baby Proof
by A-shiningstar
Summary: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!
1. Late

Author's Note: Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

Disclaimer: I do not claim not own anything associated with CSI: NY.

Late

Danny was in bed, but he was not asleep. He was waiting for her. It had been six months since he traveled across the country to be by her side when she needed him the most. In those past six months, they had been inseparable. It wasn't his doing either, not that he would complain, but this time he let her lead.

He was just on the verge of sleep when he heard her key in the lock. It was her place, but for the past several weeks, he'd spent most nights or days, whenever he slept, at her small studio apartment. It was closer to work. She must have thought he was asleep, because she dropped her purse on the counter and went straight to the shower. For a second he thought about joining her. He rolled over looked at the time, on the alarm clock 11:51. He was getting up..._She's in the shower_, he thought...Next thing he knew she was climbing into bed next to him. He lifted his head, and looked at the time 12:06. He must have dozed.

"Did I wake you?" She asked, curling up to him.

"Nah." He lied, and kissed her on the head. She smelled of her pineapple shampoo. "You smell good."

"Why thank you." She replied, then lifted her head, and placed the softest kiss upon his lips. His lips responded deepening her gentle kiss, but she pulled back. "Hey there cowboy, you are on call in about..." she glanced at the clock on his side of the bed, "3 hours."

He sat up and kissed her again, rolling her onto her back. She giggled, and allowed him to adore her with his kisses. After a few seconds, she raised up, "How long have you been asleep?"

"Long enough," was his reply, and he captured her lips once again.

At 6:30 the alarm went off. Lindsay peeked one eye open. The alarm was on his side, it stopped ringing, _he must of hit snooze_. She rolled over, to face him, his eyes were still closed.

She reached under the covers for his hand, and intertwined her fingers with his. _Must have been a slow night_, she thought, _since he is still here and not out processing a scene_. After a few minutes of lying there, just holding hands, not even speaking, she got up to use the bathroom. The alarm rang again, while she was gone. He hit snooze again, but he was more awake. It was the void in the bed. He could never sleep well or very long without her beside him now. She emerged from the bathroom, and went to the counter. She was rummaging through her purse for something, he could tell even though his eyes were still closed. Then he heard her swear under her breath.

One eye opened, "Everything okay, Montana," were the first words he spoke to her that morning. She didn't respond at first. So again he said, "Everything okay?"

She let out a sigh and mumbled, "I don't know." She put whatever it was she had dug out of her purse back into it.

He rose up, "What's matter."

She crawled back into bed, and into his arms. Then, half into his chest, she whispered, "I'm late."

Danny turned his head and glanced at the clock, "You don't have to be in till, 8 Monroe, it's not even 7 yet. You have a breakfast date of some kind?" He joked.

She lifted up and looked into his eyes, "Not that kind of late."

Then the alarm went off again. This time she reached over to turn it off. Just as the alarm was silenced, Danny's pager beeped. She handed it to him. "I guess this will have to wait."

This time it was Danny's turn to swear, as he got out of bed.


	2. On the Scene and In the Lab

**TITLE**: Baby Proof  
**AUTHOR**: AShiningstar  
**SUMMARY**: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!  
**PAIRING**: DL (of course!)  
**RATING**: T  
**DISCLAIMER**: I do not claim to own anything associated with CSI: NY.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or a review, and to those of you who added me to your author alert list. It means so much to know people are reading. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

On the Scene and in the lab

This was not the kind of crime scene he needed today. The victim was a young woman, probably late twenties. She had been stabbed in the chest. There had been an anonymous tip that had brought the police to the victim's apartment. As Danny stared around the small apartment at all of the baby items, he wondered if the victim was expecting. She didn't appear to be, but that meant nothing.

Sheldon Hawkes was taking pictures of the victim and the scene. Mac was there as well.

"Boys let's find out what happened here." He said as they set to work in processing the scene.

"The victim is Jennifer March. No sign of forced entry. The door was closed, but not locked when we arrived." Flack explained.

"What's with all the baby stuff?" Danny asked. Flack shrugged. "You think our vic is pregnant?" He asked Mac, as he set to work dusting for prints.

"I hope not. I'm sure Sid will be able to tell us." Mac replied.

There weren't any signs that a baby had been in the apartment, no dirty diapers, or dirty baby clothes. There wasn't a murder weapon on the scene, but the team found several odd items. Hawkes discovered a rather impressive array of surgical equipment in the victim's bedroom. He snapped a picture of it spread out a tray, on a small table, that sat next to the bed. "It's as if someone was about to perform surgery." He announced, when he found a vial of general anesthesia, also snapping a picture of that.

"Hey Mac," Danny yelled, "What do you make of this?" He pointed to a rounded foam pad of some sort that had straps attached to it.

Mac just looked at Danny, "What is it?"

"Thought you might know," Danny responded.

The two investigators just looked at each other with puzzlement in their eyes.

Lindsay stared at the computer screen in front of her. A print was running through AFIS. She could not focus today. _Oh God, what if I am pregnant. Why didn't Danny say anything before he left? We were careful. I know we were careful! _

Stella interrupted her thoughts, "I think you have a hit." She was dropping something off in the room, but stopped to see if this could be the break in the case they had been working.

Lindsay pulled up the record of the owner of the mystery finger print. "I can't believe we didn't find this print earlier." From the looks of the file on the screen this was their guy. Just paroled, and already committing another crime.

"Let's get this jerk off the street before does this again," Stella said.

"So Sid, what can you tell us about Ms. March?" Hawkes asked, on one side of the table.

Sid removed his glasses from his eyes, "I found some skin under her nails, also some stands of hair. Both have been sent to Trace."

"COD?" Danny asked.

"Blunt force trauma." Sid replied gesturing to the back of the head. "Her skull was cracked open." Then he added, "Oh, also she may have been abused once. I found some old scars that are consistent with abuse, specifically child abuse."

Danny looked at Hawkes, which would ask the question they'd both been curious about. Had the victim been pregnant? Since Sid hadn't mentioned it chances are she wasn't.

Danny bit the bullet and asked, "Was she pregnant?"

Sid looked slightly puzzled, "No, why do you ask?"

Hawkes spoke up to explain, "Well there was some evidence at the scene that lead us to believe that she was expecting."

A few hours later, Flack and Stella were interrogating the repeat offender. Lindsay watched from behind the window. Their suspect wasn't admitting anything, but with the evidence collected from the man's car, they knew he was their guy. Lindsay left the observation room, headed back to the lab. She wanted this case to be over. She wanted to go home. She wanted to know if she was pregnant. She hadn't seen Danny all day. She knew he was probably back from the crime scene. She scanned the rooms to see if he was there. It didn't take long, to spot him. He was thinking, she could tell by the look on his face. She wasn't sure if she should hope it was about the case he was working, or about her. She wasn't sure if she should disturb him, but when he looked up and caught her stare, she knew the decision was made.

"Hey," She said stepping in the lab. She took in the surroundings, "What's all this?" She gestured to all the boxes of baby items. The look on her face was a mix of surprise and puzzlement.

"It's evidence." Hawkes spoke up, suddenly appearing from behind one of the boxes. He packed a small piece of evidence in an envelope. "I'm going to go see what this is." He explained to Danny, and then he left.

Lindsay took a few steps closer to Danny, "What kind of case is this?" She asked, looking at the pictures spread out on the table.

"Young women, blunt force trauma." He attempted to explain. "By the positioning of her body it looks like her head was cracked open by the corner of the coffee table. No suspects, yet. Our lead is a 911 call made from a payphone 2 blocks from the scene. We're waiting for the audio to be handed over. Other than that, we have a bunch of strange pieces of evidence." He gestured to the surgical tools, and the rounded foam pad.

Lindsay nodded. She wasn't sure what to say.

"So how's your day been, Montana?" Danny asked. He could tell she was tense, but he wouldn't dare mention what he thought was probably making her tense.

She sighed and looked up into his eyes. "It's been ok. I need to go look at the evidence from our suspect's car." She started to step towards the door. They couldn't have the talk they needed to have here.

"You want to do lunch later?" he asked.

"Sure." She replied.

Mac poked his head into the room. "Danny, we have a lead. My office," He had used the tone, that meant right now. So Danny followed.

"See you later," Lindsay mumbled as he passed.

Danny, Hawkes, and Flack, the last to arrive, were assembled in Mac's office.

"We have a confession." Mac announced wasting no time. "A woman walked into the precinct 20 minutes ago and confessed to causing the death of Jennifer March."

The men listened in awe. A confession wasn't unheard of, but it happened rarely.

The head detective continued, "The D.A. is getting the woman's official statement. If needed, we can bring her here for more questioning. In the mean time, we now have more evidence; her clothes, a DNA sample, her fingerprints, and possibly more. We need to make sure her confession is backed up with science."

The men nodded in agreement.

"One more thing," Mac added before he dismissed the men, "Our suspect is 8 months pregnant."


	3. Meet the Victim?

**TITLE**: Baby Proof  
**AUTHOR**: AShiningstar  
**SUMMARY**: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!  
**PAIRING**: DL (of course!)  
**RATING**: T  
**DISCLAIMER**: I do not claim to own anything associated with CSI: NY.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or a review, and to those of you who added me to your author alert list. It means so much to know people are reading. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

Meet the Victim?

Lindsay sat at a table in the break room staring at her lunch. She'd brought a microwavable pasta meal, but now that it was open and heated she wasn't convinced she wanted to actually eat it. Danny entered the room. "Hey!" She perked up, "Would you like to eat this?" She didn't want it to go to waste.

He looked at her with questioning eyes, "What did you do to it?" he joked, joining her at the table.

She gasped and acted offended.

"Why aren't you eating it?" He asked slightly concerned.

"It just doesn't look appetizing to me." She admitted, and she scooted it his direction.

"Thanks." He said, and offered a smile. "You have to eat too though."

"Hmm," She pondered, "I suppose I do." She walked over to the refrigerator to see what she could find. Seconds later she returned to the table with a pint of ice-cream, and a spoon.

"Healthy lunch, huh?" He joked, and stole a bite with a spare spoon, that was on the table.

She swatted at his spoon with hers as he tried to steal another bite. "Better watch out, Messer!" She teased glaring at him.

He backed off in defeat.

"So, I hear there was a confession, in your case?" She asked.

He nodded, finishing off his last bite of the pasta. "We're waiting for her complete statement."

There wasn't anyone else in the break room, but she lowered her voice anyway as she asked her next question. "Do you think you'll be off on time?"

He hunched over and whispered back "Should be. What about you?"

"Should be unless I get called to a scene," She stated quietly.

Stella entered the break room "We've got him. The rope in his back seat was the same rope used on our victim." Danny immediately sat up straight. Stella looked at Danny and then back at Lindsay, "Was I interrupting something?"

Lindsay stood up and tossed the empty ice cream pint, in the trash. "Just finishing lunch," Then she headed out of the room with Stella.

Mac had assembled the boys again, this time to watch the taped footage of the suspect's statement. They were in the audio/visual lab, all staring at the screen in front of them.

The woman on screen was very pregnant. She was sitting at a table in an interrogation room. A voice off camera said, "Please state your full name."

"Julia Martin."

"Ms. Martin, tell us your story. How did you come to be at 2400 Morningside Park?" the voice off camera asked.

"Jennifer had called me." It was obvious that Julia Martin was nervous. "We met online at a message board for mom's to be. We were friends, so I thought. I had met her in person before, and talked to her on the phone many times. She told me her baby was due at the end August." At this point Ms. Martin broke down in tears. "She wasn't pregnant though..." She tried to talk through the tears. A hand passed her some tissues. "Oh God! I can't believe I was so naïve.," she cried. Once she had composed herself she started again. "I had never been to her apartment before today. She invited me over to help un-wrap baby gifts. She said she had received so many from out of town relatives. I felt sorry for her, because she was alone. She told me how her boyfriend had fled when he found out she was pregnant." The expectant mother was quiet for a moment. "She lied to me. Everything...everything must have been a lie." She stated as if she was just realizing.

"Tell me about this morning, at her apartment." The voice from off screen said.

Ms. Martin nodded. "We unwrapped a few gifts. I remember volunteering David, my husband, to put together a few of the items. She got up to use the bathroom, and to drag a few boxes out from the bedroom. I didn't want to open any more gifts without her, so I took the opportunity to talk to my baby." She blushed probably embarrassed by admitting to an act some might find silly, and then rested her hands on her belly. "Then, she called for me from the bedroom. When I entered the room, I saw the tray of surgical things. The look on her face was different, crazy. She looked crazy. She walked toward me, explaining calmly how she was going to take my baby. I was backing away the whole time." She paused and wiped a tear that had escaped. "I remember trying to think of a way out. I was scared, maybe a bit in shock. It didn't seem real." She closed her eyes briefly, and then continued. "I walked backwards into the living area, and then I decided to make a break for the door. I went for it and she lunged at me. We struggled for a bit. That pad that she was wearing, to make her look pregnant, flew off. I guess I was stronger. I wasn't about to let this crazy women take my baby or hurt me. I pushed her," She confessed. "And she fell hitting her head on the coffee table."

From off-camera, someone asked, "Then, what did you do?"

"I didn't realize she was dead, but I couldn't stay. I got my purse, and I left. I called David. I was crying. As I made my way to his office building, I stopped at a pay phone and dialed 911. I don't remember what I said. When I got to David's office, I told him everything that happened."

"Is that all? Is there anything else you would like to add?" asked the voice from off-screen.

"I'm sorry." Ms. Martin said and burst into tears again. "I didn't mean to kill her. I just didn't want to lose my baby."

The screen went black.

Mac and the guys shared a look. This sure was an unusual case. How could they not be sympathetic for this woman? It put them in a difficult situation. She was their murderer, but she was also a victim. They had no reason not to believe every word she'd spoken. However, they now had to find evidence that would lead to the truth. Each one of detectives hoped the truth would back up Ms. Martin's statement, of course they couldn't actually admit that. After all it was part of their job to stand up for the victim. They just had to find out which victim that would be.


	4. Symptoms and Evidence

**TITLE**: Baby Proof  
**AUTHOR**: AShiningstar  
**SUMMARY**: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!  
**PAIRING**: DL (of course!)  
**RATING**: T  
**DISCLAIMER**: I do not claim to own anything associated with CSI: NY.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or a review, and to those of you who added me to your author alert list. It means so much to know people are reading. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

Symptoms and Evidence

Lindsay sat at her desk, staring at paperwork, willing it to write itself. The case she and Stella had been working on was now closed. The suspect had been arrested. Now she was supposed to be catching up on reports. However, the task wasn't keeping her busy enough. She needed something to keep her mind off the only thing that was dominating it, _Could I really be pregnant? _She decided to find a list of symptoms online and see if she could relate. She glanced around to make sure no one was within viewing distance of her computer screen, and then she typed in A few more clicks of a mouse, and she had a list of symptoms. She read the page silently, "Here are 5 common signs of early pregnancy. You may experience all, some or none of these symptoms: a missed period." _Check_, she thought, and then read on, "Frequent Trips to the Bathroom." _Hmm, perhaps._ "Fatigue" _Of course, but I'm always tired, it's the job, and the hours, _she reasoned. "Morning (and Noon and Night!) Sickness" _Not really, although there had been the incident at lunch, not wanting to eat that pasta dish. The thought of eating it did kind of make her feel sick, _she read the last sign, "Sore (and Enlarged) Breasts." Automatically she looked down; she hadn't noticed any change there. She closed the page, and exhaled. _I really need to take a pregnancy test_. Just the thought was kind of scary to her. She wasn't entirely ready to be a mother, and she had no idea what Danny felt about the subject.

She looked at the reports on her desk. _I'm going to need coffee for this, _She thought, and headed for the break room. On the way to get the caffeine boost she needed, she passed by the lab where Danny was working with Hawkes and Mac. She was three steps away from the break room, when she heard her name. It was Mac. She turned around. "Could you come here for a second?" he asked. He was the boss man, she couldn't exactly say no.

"We need you to model something for us." Mac tried to explain, when she arrived in the lab.

She furrowed her brow, in confusion. Expecting a comment from Danny, she glanced at him but he wouldn't look at her, and there was no witty comment. _What's his problem?_ She thought.

Mac was explaining the situation, but she missed part of it. She just caught the tail end, "We need to see, if this pillow thing can be convincing - if Jennifer March could have faked her pregnancy with it, in turn convincing her neighbors and Julia Martin that she was expecting."

Lindsay was very confused, but she had a pretty good idea what Mac was asking her to do. She had seen the "pillow thing" early that day in the lab, and now it was in Mac's hands. He wanted her to model it, and that was why Danny couldn't look at her. "So you want me to put this on?" She asked Mac.

He nodded, and then said, "I know this sounds like an odd request, but I wouldn't ask if I thought it wouldn't help."

"Fine." She said, a bit more sharply than she intended. _This wouldn't be a big deal to any normal person, Lindsay._ She told herself. _Act normal._ She took the pillow thing from Mac's hands and looked it over, assessing how it was supposed to be worn. It had adjustable Velcro straps attached to it. It didn't look homemade, but there was no manufacture tag.

She placed the pillow up next to her flat stomach, and attempted to secure the straps, but Mac stopped her. "Actually Lindsay, for to full effect we need it to be under something." He looked turned around. "Danny, give me your lab coat."

"What? Why?" He protested.

"Just give it to me." Mac instructed.

Danny obeyed, handing the lab coat to Mac, who then put it on Lindsay. She had the 'pillow thing' secured, now. "Could you button it," Mac asked.

She buttoned the lab coat. It was obviously too large for her, but it worked for this demonstration. Once completely buttoned she smoothed her hands down over the pillow, and looked at Danny, who was looking directly at her now. He wasn't the only one though, Mac and Hawkes both observed her carefully.

Hawkes spoke up, "Well, I think it works." He turned to make, "It does seem plausible that Jennifer used this to fake her pregnancy."

Lindsay tried to read Danny's expression, but she couldn't. _Damn him, for being difficult to read! _She thought. "Why exactly am I doing this again?" She asked Mac.

"Our suspect is eight months pregnant. She admitted to causing the death of Ms. March, our victim. We are testing to see if her story, matches with the truth. We have neighbors, and Mrs. Martin, the suspect, who say, that they believed Ms. March to be pregnant. But she wasn't. Our suspect, states that Ms. March faked her pregnancy, and alleges that she had planned to steal her unborn child."

Lindsay nodded. She caught a glimpse of reflection in the glass wall. _Is this what I'll look like in a few months?_ She thought. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "So, am I done here? Are my modeling duties over?" She asked trying to make light of the situation.

Mac, nodded "Yeah. Thanks Lindsay, I know that was probably a bit awkward."

_You have no idea._ She quickly unbuttoned the lab coat, and was working on unfastening the pillow, when she realized Danny was behind her. They never dared to be physically this close before, at work. She glanced at Mac and Hawkes, but they were busy discussing another piece of evidence. Danny helped her remove the lab coat. He whispered "I'm sorry," trying to convey he had been opposed to making her be their model.

She shrugged, "Just part of the job." She whispered back. She handed him the pillow and was off to get that coffee.


	5. Anxious

**TITLE**: Baby Proof  
**AUTHOR**: A-Shiningstar  
**SUMMARY**: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!  
**PAIRING**: DL (of course!)  
**RATING**: T  
**DISCLAIMER**: I do not claim to own anything associated with CSI: NY.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or a review, and to those of you who added me to your author alert list. It means so much to know people are reading. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

Anxious

Lindsay was flipping through the newspaper on the table, as she waited for the coffee to brew. She glanced at her watch, it was 2:45. She had at least another hour, and fifteen minutes before she could go home. That was assuming she didn't get called to a scene. She turned the page and glanced at the headlines. One stood out, "Caffeine and Pregnancy: A Bad Mix." _Well, there goes my cup of coffee!_ She didn't read the article she just neatly folded the newspaper and then tossed it in the garbage. She looked at the coffee machine longingly, and let out a frustrated groan. _But I don't even know if I am pregnant._ She attempted to reason. Then she sighed, in defeat. She opted for a bottle of water instead, and headed back to her reports.

They had confirmed that Julia Martin was indeed the women who called 911, by comparing the voice on the audio tape, to her voice on the video of her statement. Evidence also confirmed she was in the apartment. The skin and hair found under the nails of Jennifer March was a positive match to the DNA sample provided by Ms. Martin. It was certainly looking like Ms. Martin's statement, was in fact the truth. Especially after Lindsay had modeled the pillow, and proved that Jennifer March could have indeed convincingly faked her pregnancy with it. Now they had to wait for computers. Both computers of the victim, and the suspect had been subpoenaed. Once they arrived, Adam would have to retrieve the information that was pertinent, to the case.

Danny's work was done for the day. He poked his head in the office he shared with Lindsay. "Hey," he greeted. "I'm headed out. There isn't anything else for us to do today."

She glanced up, from her report. "Ok." She said, and offered a smile.

He walked over to her desk. "You ok?" he asked.

She bit her lip, and looked at the clock on her computer, 3:20. "Yeah, I'm fine, just anxious to leave," She admitted, "But, I have less than an hour, now."

He nodded. "Ok," he wanted to kiss her on the forehead, and offer some comfort, instead he just said, "I'll see you later," and left.

On the subway ride to Lindsay's apartment, he couldn't get the image of her out of his head.

_There she stood in his lab coat looking rather pregnant. He caught her eyes staring at him, and thought, _This is what she'll look like when she's pregnant. Heck, she could look like this in a few months. _He let his eyes take her in. She looked kind of goofy in the coat that was too large for her small frame. Then he saw his name, MESSER, embroidered across the lab coat. It was then he decided he was going to ask her to marry him someday. It wasn't because she could be carrying his child. It was because he loved her. It was something about seeing her, how she looked that very minute that just made him, know it was right. Then, his thoughts turned to how awkward this situation was for her, and he felt responsible for it._

The train screeched to a halt. It was their stop. As he headed to the street, he remembered Lindsay's words in her office. _"... just anxious to leave"_ He realized she was just as anxious as he was to find out if she was pregnant. He made his way up the steps to street level and decided he'd make a stop before he went home.


	6. Moment of Truth

**TITLE**: Baby Proof  
**AUTHOR**: AShiningstar  
**SUMMARY**: Begins six months after Sleight of Hand, Danny and Lindsey are together...please read and review!  
**PAIRING**: DL (of course!)  
**RATING**: T  
**DISCLAIMER**: I do not claim to own anything associated with CSI: NY.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Big Thanks to Dingbat142001 for beta reading this story. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or a review, and to those of you who added me to your author alert list. It means so much to know people are reading. I hope everyone enjoys the story! Please leave a review. :)

Moment of Truth

At ten till 5, Lindsay unlocked the door to her apartment. She smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen. "Danny?"

"In here!" He yelled from the kitchen.

Lindsay made her way into the apartment and could see Danny had been pretty busy. I vase of roses sat on the counter and candles, were on the tiny dining table. "What is all this?" She asked surprised.

"Dinner," he replied as if it was obvious. He handed her a wine glass. "Its grape juice," he explained.

She nodded, and took a sip. "Thanks." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "So what are you making?"

"Spaghetti and Meat Balls, my mama's recipe, at least for the most part," He explained how he didn't have time to cook the spaghetti as slowly has his mother would, and he had to buy the frozen meat balls. "Oh, I got you something." He added.

She looked at him confused.

Then he pointed to a small brown paper bag on the counter, "Open it." he ordered.

She opened the bag, not quite sure what to expect, she never would have guessed what she found. "You bought pregnancy tests!" She laughed nervously, as she pulled out 2 different boxes.

He shrugged and stirred the sauce on the stove, "Well, I figured you might want to take one...or two."

She rolled her eyes, and admitted, "I bought 3."

He laughed.

"Danny, are you ok with this? I mean, if the test is positive?" She asked serious all of a sudden.

He looked her directly in the eyes, "Marry me." He said. He hadn't meant for it to come out like that, in that moment. It just did.

Of all the possible things for him to say, that was certainly not one that had crossed her mind. She was speechless. She was completely stunned. He must have led her to a dining chair, because she was sitting down when she came out of her state of shock. He had her hands in his, and he was kneeling.

"All I know is, when I saw you today in the lab, wearing my lab coat; I knew I wanted to marry you. I don't have a ring yet. I didn't even realize I was going to ask today. I love you though, Montana. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you."

He was waiting for her to speak, she realized. "This isn't because..." she said gesturing to the pregnancy test, although she was pretty sure it wasn't.

"No! But hey, if that is the case," he paused and a huge grin spread across his face. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek; he gently brushed it away with his thumb. "Are you going to leave me hanging here?"

"Yes." She managed, through her happy tears, "I'll marry you."

He engulfed her in a hug, kissing her hair, her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, and finally her lips. Suddenly the smoke detector went off interrupting their bliss and they had to break from each other.

Danny fanned the detector with an oven mitt to get it to stop. She giggled, and then asked "So how long till dinner?"

"15 minutes."

"Ok, well I'm going to go pee on some sticks." She told him nonchalantly, taking the boxes, and heading to the bathroom.

Five minutes later she sat at the tiny dining table staring at the kitchen timer, while Danny finished preparing dinner. "So, any other symptoms'," He asked.

She glared at him. "Maybe." She said remembering the list she had looked at earlier in the day. Then she admitted, "I'm nervous, Danny. I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother. Our schedules are so odd sometimes. How could we care for a baby?"

He sat some garlic bread on the table. "If you can take care of me, you can take care of a baby." He joked.

She smiled, and changed the subject. "I think I'd like to be a June bride. You know, we'll have to have the wedding in Montana. There's no way my parents will come here."

"Why's that?" He asked, and took a bite out of a piece of bread.

"I think they are afraid." She explained, "They don't even like to fly."

"You know, I'm not sure you give them enough credit, Monroe." He pointed out.

The timer dinged. Their eyes locked. She wanted to know but at that same moment she was absolutely terrified of the results. "Are you going to go look at the results, or shall I?" he asked. Obviously he was just as anxious as she was.

She stood up, "Moment of truth," she stated, as she walked to the bathroom. Just before she disappeared through the door, she glanced back at Danny.

"So?" he called a few seconds later.

She came into the dining area nodding, her eyes slightly teary. She showed him a test, with 2 pink lines, one with a plus sign, another one that had lines, and then one that read "pregnant." It was that last test, which gave him the affirmative answer. There were no words that were spoken, but the sentiment that filled the small apartment was one of joy, as he adored her with his soft kisses.

This is all I have written. I am slightly undecided if I should continue. I haven't written anything past this part so far, so if I do continue, it will probably be awhile before it is updated. The only reason the updates have came as fast as they have, has been because it was all written up to this point. Please, let me know what you think. Your feedback means so much. Thanks for reading. :)


End file.
